Dinner

Vegetable Stew

Back when I was working two jobs, I'd make this vegetable stew basically every week; I'd put it in the slow cooker Monday night (my night off), and portion it out early Tuesday morning into dinners for the week (lunches were generally sandwiches). It's cheap, it's filling, and it's delicious.

The exact ingredients vary every time, but it always includes a can of tomatoes, eggplant, and a can of chickpeas/ceci/garbanzo beans (depending on where you shop).

This week I went to Fresh Farms International Market, and found these Indian Eggplants (Dudes: $.98/lb.):

And all of these parsnips for 50 cents (I'm allergic to carrots, but not parsnips. Weird.):

And cebolitas (I can't find any information about them anywhere, but they're like if leeks and scallions had a baby. A tasty, tasty baby.):

I also bought what is referred to on the receipt as a Red Anci Pepper. It looks like this. It's more sweet than hot, and is so pretty with all the browns and greens in the dish. Some cilantro from the other night's stir fry also went in, as well as the rest of the bok choy, and a small zucchini.

If I were to write it out like a proper recipe, it might look something like this:

6 indian eggplants (about 3/4 lb), quartered lengthwise

4 small parsnips, quartered lengthwise and cut to 2-inch lengths

4 cebolitas, bulbs quartered lengthwise, stalks cut to 2-inch lengths

1 large red anci pepper, cleaned/cored and diced large

1/2 head bok choy, cut to 1-inch pieces

1 small zucchini, quarted lengthwise and sliced to 1 inch thickness

1/2 cup cilantro (not packed), chopped

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, including juice

1 can (15.5 oz) chickpeas/ceci/garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 tsp cumin

1-2 tb olive oil

1 tsp salt

Mix in crockpot and cook on low overnight. Also works with dutch oven in a slow oven.